Villains We Love: Leland Palmer

Pretty much everything about the world of Twin Peaks is magic. The stable of actors is amazing -- from the wonders of Jack Nance to the still chills of Sheryl Lee's smile, to the quirky post-West Side Story Richard Beymer and Russ Tamblyn. Angelo Badalamenti's score remains one of the most hauntingly beautiful pieces of music I've ever heard. David Lynch and Mark Frost made for a perfect mixture of continuity and insanity, while always knowing just how gently to pull at the strings of tension and chill the nerves.

But my true and refined appreciation rests with Ray Wise. One of my favorite severely underrated actors, Wise's performance in both the series and film is stunning. He's one of the rare actors who can pull off the most scary and convincing moments of sadisticness just as easily as the charming moments steeped in sweetness and charisma. His eyes can evoke the screaming of horror, the slyness of evil, the psychosis of possession. But before his guilt was revealed on the show and we learned that he raped and killed his own daughter, he seemed like the least likely suspect -- a loving father tormented over the death of his little girl. But then we see the slivers of evil in the show, and then the all-out horror in Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me.

He made Leland Palmer, and easily thrust him from a simply creepy and evilly possessed dad to one of the villains I love. Sure, it's not really him that does it, it's Bob, but it's all the magic of Wise that makes it worthy. After the jump, check out a mix of creepy scenes from the film, a lot of which show his excellent performance.